Spaniard Ignacio shot a third round 66 in the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth to boost his hopes of a first victory since his Ryder Cup debut in 1997.
The 31-year-old, 11 under par with a round to play, said: "I've been making big swing changes and I knew it was going to take a long time.
"The key to Wentworth is that you need to shape your shots both ways. I've stayed out of trouble and holed some putts.
"It's just the first steps. I can't get over-excited because I know there's still a lot of work to do and under pressure my old swing comes onto the scene."
After a promising start Darren Clarke has had a disastrous day and is presently tied for twelfth.